Through it All
by Jokerdee
Summary: "We focus on today, never worrying about tomorrow. Live each day with determination, not with sorrow." LeeTen.
1. Reminiscing

**Hello, readers! This is my** **FIRST** **fanfiction ever about my favorite pairing, LeeTen! I hope you enjoy it!**

 **This takes place before Naruto: The Last Movie. And some of you will get why I put it that way later ;-)**

 **I do not own Naruto.**

 _ **Through it All**_

 _ **Chapter 1: Reminiscing**_

 _Beep!_

 _Beep!_

 _Beep!_

 _'Argh...'_

The ring of doom finally goes off. Its timing is always terrible on mornings like this. Mornings where everyone is either peacefully sleeping or fully rested, which one, she's never included in either category and two, was pretty much every morning. ' _Darn that stupid alarm clock.'_ It was 5:30 A.M. and the sun was already creeping out of the ground, making streaks of sunlight peek through the cracks of the blinds. A strip of sunlight was already flashing in her eyes, making her despise the crack of dawn all the more. With enough self-pep talking, she managed to sit up and…

Well when it's _this_ early, you have to take it one step at a time.

It's not like she's always in a sloppy mood like this. Usually, the bun-haired kunoichi would already be up in the bathroom brushing her teeth giving herself her daily confident speech in the mirror. But, today was different. She wasn't getting up to start a full day of training with her hot blooded teammate, or at least that wasn't the main task of today. Today was different.

Things were different…

With all the strength in her body, Tenten succeeded in picking herself up off the bed and dragging herself to the bathroom. Although she was feeling exceedingly sluggish, she wouldn't dare be late, specifically for a day like this, it just wasn't in her team Gai nature.

The jonin's restroom was certainly nothing to complain about, its size was larger than some people's bedrooms. It made people envious, bearing in mind that she was an orphan, and was still allowed to stay in her parents' outsized home. Forcing her to live in an orphanage would not have settled well with her, anyway. Plus, living alone helped her to accept her parents' fate. Tenten was tired of hearing all the apologies for their passing, as if they killed them. It made her five stages of grief stretch out longer.

"We focus on today, never worrying about tomorrow. Live each day with determination, not with sorrow." Tenten's day-to-day words of encouragement, that her father taught her, got her through each day. It was the perfect words to keep her moving, being a ninja and all, and it was needed particularly for a day like today. The rest of her a.m. routine was hurried, recognizing that she was running a little behind, she brushed her teeth, took a shower, and got dressed. While the female ninja knew she wasn't planning to train, she wore her usual outfit, because you never know what training exercise Gai sensei will pull out of that green jumpsuit of his.

Even with Tenten's sleep schedule out of whack, she still had the appetite to eat. ' _At least that part of me is still normal.'_ She thought as she whipped up the last couple eggs she had in her fridge and began cracking them on her skillet. She would need to go grocery shopping soon if her appetite kept up like this. Her spending money wasn't as much as it used to be. Now that she's over eighteen, she doesn't receive any extra money from the orphanage to supply her with any food or pay the house bills. It wasn't necessary, her pay from completing missions was enough for her to pay and purchase whatsoever she needed. As a result, she tends to have a lot of money saved for whatever the future holds for her. _'Maybe I'll start my own business one day. Like a weapons' shop.'_

 _'_ _Crap.'_

Tenten bolted to the stove and fanned away the black smoke coming from her now burnt eggs. Lately, her deep thoughts have been sidetracking her from the main task at hand. Causing her to almost hit Lee with her shuriken, miss the dumplings restaurant before they close, and now ruin her breakfast. Great. The brunette picked up the skillet containing her overcooked eggs, threw them away, and tossed the skillet into the sink. She walked over to her small dining room table and picked up an orange out of the bowl in the middle of the table. As she peeled the skin off of the fruit, she sat at the table planning out her day. Which was pretty much hanging out with her teammates- or teammate. Since it was Neji's birthday, team Gai decided to visit him with flowers at the Hyuga cemetery. They would probably go out to eat, conversate, or just train- yeah, just train the rest of the day. But it just wasn't the same. There was barely anything to train for with Konoha being so peaceful. Lee no longer had a rival to compete with or a sensei to spar with. The most Gai sensei could do in that wheelchair is give encouraging words of youth and his usual thumbs up pose. They try not to let it get in the way of their training, always thinking of Neji smiling down on them, watching over them.

 _Knock! Knock! Knock!_

Tenten jumped out of her seat at the loud knock at the door. Usually when Lee knocked that loud it was because they were running late, in which case they weren't, he was astonishingly early. She sprinted to the door and opened it, apprehension filling her face as she chewed on an orange slice.

"What's up, Lee? Something wrong?"

"Hello Tenten. And no, why would there be anything wrong?"

"Well, you knocked so loud…and I just…"

"I knocked several times, but there was no answer. I just thought you could not hear me. I am sorry if I worried you, Tenten."

"Oh…It's fine, Lee." ' _Darn it. Distracted again._ '

"Are you ready to go, Tenten? A beautiful day lies ahead of us!"

"Um, sure! Just give me a sec, 'kay?" Lee nodded and turned around to take in the world and all its beauty. Tenten ran back to the table and threw all her orange peels away. Her bag was next to the fridge, filled with small scrolls that she was experimenting with. If everything worked out right, she may soon be able to wear scrolls on her wrist as a cute bracelet, instead of having giant scrolls on her back. Why not be fashionable _and_ prepared to kick some ass? She slung the bag over her shoulder and ran out the door to meet Lee.

"Okay. I'm ready."

"How has your morning been so far, Tenten?" No matter how bad your morning was, Lee's cheerful tone of voice was enough to get Tenten out of the gutters. That is, unless she had an awful hangover and Lee's voice just made her want to kick the breath out of his lungs so he couldn't speak anymore. Luckily, that didn't happen often. Drinking sake only makes Tenten think of the bad things, making her see the cup half empty, which was terrible for her self-esteem.

"It was good, Lee. How was yours?" ' _That was a lie.'_

"It was terrific! It is always great to start the morning with a little training." Of course. Maybe that's how he gets his burst of energy in the morning. I guess ten thousand pushups can do that to a hot blooded person like Lee. It didn't bother her though. His never-give-up spirit always pushed Tenten to do her best, making her stronger physically and emotionally through all these years. Of course she's helped him too, dragging him home or to a hospital when he overdid the training, which was rather often. Nevertheless, they helped each other the most when their teammate passed. They supported each other, comforted each other when a training session turned into a crying session, and that brought them closer. They felt their bond was closer than any of the other ninjas of their generation.

They headed to the Yamanaka Flower Shop (because Ino gives them a discount) before they met up with Gai sensei. Their flower shop is very refreshing, having the atmosphere of a rainforest, but much smaller. Of course that's only in back where the flowers are grown, the front desk looked like your typical drug store. The two strolled into the shop, ringing the bell on the door.

"Welcome to Yamanaka Flower- hey, you guys!" Ino waved at the two with her usual wholehearted smile. The blond kunoichi was a great person to talk to when you had something on your mind, listening to every word you say and even give some advice if you needed it. However, she wasn't the best person to talk to if you wanted to keep a secret, which was why when the two kunoichi hang out, Ino does most of the talking. She didn't mind though, for Tenten was also curious about the gossip of the village at times.

"I have your Blue Irises right here, guys. And we added in a couple Gladiolus flowers, a gift from me and my family." Rock Lee grabbed the pink and blue flowers, "Thank you so much, Ino." They took the flowers and with another ring from the door, they were gone.

Gai sensei said he would meet them at the building near the Hyuga cemetery. With him being in a wheelchair, Tenten expected his youthful spirit to go down a bit, not being able to train with Lee or do strength contests with Kakashi. However, when they visited him, he didn't slow down one bit. Which was a relief to his students, knowing it wouldn't be the same without their sensei's loud, inspiring voice, or his unique thumbs up pose if he let his handicap get the best of him.

The teammates walked towards the Hyuga compound, with blue and pink flowers, for their fallen friend. If there was one thing Tenten admired about the Hyuga compound, it was definitely, the structure of it. The entrance was perfectly decorated with flowers, complemented by a tiny waterfall, with the words "Hyuga Clan" carved into a sign above it. Every building, every house, even just plain grassy areas were kept clean and trim, which was understandable, considering the Hyugas' high standards and neatness. It was as if it were all brand new, and it amazed the brunette each time she visit.

Upon entering the clan's compound, the duo smiled and waved at some Hyugas that greeted them. When they first visited there, they expected everyone to be cold hearted, like Neji acted at times. However, they were proven wrong when they were greeted with kind smiles and formal handshakes.

They strolled to the building closest to the cemetery, the sanctuary, where wedding ceremonies and funerals are often held. It was a big building that had stained glass windows, reflecting different colors inside when the sun shined on it. Another place that proved Tenten's love for the beauty of the Hyuga compound.

The kunoichi looked over at her teammate, seeing how he was doing now that they were pretty close to the cemetery. Lee had completely broke down when Neji died, not like the usual waterfall of tears when he learns something new from Gai sensei. Tenten reacted the opposite at the moment, watching Lee hold their lifeless teammate in his arms. She felt it wasn't real. That surely this is all a joke, or a bad dream, that soon the jonin would wake up to a tough day of training with her whole team. When Tenten finally processed that her teammate was gone, she had a mental breakdown. Team Gai's female student always felt she was the glue of the team, the one to balance the excitement and seriousness in her teammates, but during that time, she couldn't even hold herself together.

"Uh, Tenten? Are you okay?" Lee questioned, wondering why Tenten had been staring at him for several seconds without saying a word. He waved a hand in front of her face, snapping her out of her deep thought.

"Huh? Oh! Something wrong, Lee? Feeling alright?" Tenten asked becoming concerned upon seeing the worry on Lee's face.

"I should be asking you the same question. You seem very distracted lately, Tenten." He replied with a smile that was contagious.

She apologized with a slight grin, which was enough to for Lee to shake off her weird behavior, or just to worry more about it later.

They reached the sanctuary and seen Gai and Hiashi standing outside, talking and smiling from yards away. Hiashi ended his conversation and walked away with a pleasant look on his face. Their sensei turned to them and waved with a giant grin on his face.

"LEE! TENTEN! COME MY STUDENTS!" he yelled to them with that energetic voice of his that instantly makes Lee energetic as well, causing him to run to his sensei.

"GAI SENSEI! HOW HAS YOUR MORNING BEEN SO FAR?"

"AS YOUTHFUL AS EVER, LEE! HOW IS YOUR MORNING? "

"MINE WAS JUST AS YOUTHFUL! ARE YOU-"

Tenten firmly nudged Lee's side, "Will you two stop yelling! You're like two feet away from each other! And people are starting to stare…" Lee looked to see that he was now standing next to his sensei, so yelling was no longer necessary. He shot Tenten a remorseful grin, leading her to smirk and roll her eyes.

"How are you, Tenten?" Gai now giving her a greeting smile, rather than the shiny smile that hurt her eyes. "I'm great, sensei." She greeted back warmly, her tone of voice letting him know that she really _was_ doing fine.

"Alright, then. Let's go."

They headed towards the cemetery peacefully, knowing that there was nothing to say that was as imperative as this moment. They made their way through all the tombstones before they got to the one they were looking for, Neji's. There were already some flowers around it, from other visitors who came to pay their respects.

The trio surrounded the tombstone in silence, waiting for one of them to break it.

"Hello, Neji," Lee quietly greeted, "Happy birthday…" Lee set the flowers down near the tombstone and stood back next to Gai.

"We really miss you, Neji. You and your bravery will never be forgotten." Their sensei spoke out, with a hint of sadness in his voice. Tenten heard a sniff come from Lee, realizing that not only he was crying, but so was she, feeling the salty liquid roll down her cheeks.

It was Tenten's turn to speak, and she was angered at herself that she felt speechless, not knowing what to say.

"I… we r-really, um…" Tenten stuttered with her words. She needed to clear her head. With a deep breath, her eyes closed, she let out what was on her mind.

"You were more than a teammate to us Neji, you were family. And it hurts because our team has grown to become the only family I have now. And I know you wouldn't want us to grieve everyday over your absence, but to grow stronger and fight on. And we will. Happy birthday, Neji." The kunoichi felt as if that's something she should have saved another time, when she visited by herself. That thought immediately vanished when Lee wrapped an arm around her, pulling her in for a side hug, with his other hand resting on his sensei's shoulder. Tenten realized she never told her team how much she cared about them, assuming it just went without saying, and it did. She rested her head on Lee's chest, deepening the embrace, before life would go on again.

 **Well, that's the first chapter.**

 **I've already started on the second chapter, but with school and such, I am a little busy. But it should not be too long before the next chapter is out!**

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**


	2. Because of You

**Hello guys! I'm back with chapter two and I hope you like it. Sorry it took me quite a while to write it but to makeup for it, this chapter is a little bit longer than the first one.**

 **I do not own Naruto.**

 **Through it All**

 **Chapter 2: Because of You**

After several more minutes of reminiscing, the ninjas left the Hyuga Compound, heading straight to the training grounds. It was still early in the day, so they did what they did best, to pass the time. Training was often a productive time waster for the team, and with times so peaceful, they did it a lot. Tenten would focus on her target practice, and Lee, taijutsu of course. Their sensei usually gave them new training exercises or just words of encouragement, which were always greatly appreciated.

The sun was beginning to set, Lee and Tenten were tired, and their stomachs were starting to growl. Fortunately, their training for the day was finished.

"Whew! I'm beat! Barbeque sounds good right about now. My treat?" The kunoichi offered, confident that the two won't refuse.

"Sorry, Tenten," Gai apologized, though sounded awfully excited, "I'm meeting, my eternal rival, Kakashi for another competition!" Tenten rolled her eyes, wondering how they could keep score of their different contests after all these years. Although she had to admit, it pleased her to see her sensei still burning with the fiery passion of youth at times.

"What about you, Lee?" She pointed at her teammate, "It'll be my treat…" The brunette sung in an attempt to lure in her teammate to her offer.

"Of course, Tenten! How can I refuse free food?" Lee's face brightened in a way Tenten had rarely seen in a while. _'He seems too excited just for some barbeque. Then again, he acts excited for everything.'_

"Good job today, you two," Their sensei complemented, "We'll meet again first thing Monday morning! Now if you'll excuse me I got a rival to beat!" Gai sped off in his wheelchair, leaving clouds of dust behind him. Lee and Tenten coughed, waving their hands to clear the filthy air.

"Ack! Are you ready, Tenten?" The green beast asked coughing the last bit of dirt out of his lungs. The kunoichi headed over to her bag, planning to clean up her experimental mess of scrolls. She began rolling them up, "Yeah, almost. Let me just put up these scrolls." Lee focused on her clutter, observing her scrolls, _'I've never seen scrolls so small…'_ He thought as he walked in slow circles around his teammate, eyeing them, to figure out their purpose of its unusual size. The kunoichi watched him out of the corner of her eye, wishing he would just voice his concern with her.

"Uh, Tenten? Why are your scrolls so tiny?" Her teammate asked, his curiosity quickly getting the best of him.

"Well, I'm tired of carrying a giant scroll on my back, so I'm trying to lighten my load by making smaller scrolls that I can wear as bracelets. They'll be easier to access too, and if I need more, I can wear some on my back that are less-"

"That is so cool, Tenten! How did you come up with that?"

"It just sorta came to m-"

"With your efforts, I _know_ you're going to be the strongest kunoichi in the village!"

"Gee, thanks Lee…" Tenten blushed at his complement, never realizing how much faith Lee had in her. It was only because of him that she's made it so far. He pushed her to do her best without him even knowing. He watched her stuff the rest of her scrolls in her backpack, moving quicker than before. When she slung her bag across her shoulder, Lee led the way, "LET US HEAD TO BARBEQUE'S!"

...

Lee groaned, rubbing his nicely toned stomach, "I do not think I could eat another bite." He looked up to Tenten, agreeing with a nod, in secret regretting making this her treat seeing all the barbeque her teammate devoured. His appetite was just about as big as Naruto, and having even half of that blond shinobi's appetite was too much food for the average person. She was partially glad her sensei didn't join them.

The kunoichi reached in her bag to pull out her money to pay for their meal, soon sidetracked by a shouting in the distance that sounded all too familiar.

"Naruto, leave me alone!" a female voice yelled sounding quite frustrated.

The jonin turned her head to the source of the lurid noise. It was Sakura being bugged by Naruto, as usual. She seemed to be eating in peace until the blond interrupted her meal. The bun haired kunoichi sighed, knowing it was only a matter of time before Lee would join him in bothering Tsunade's apprentice.

Lee turned his head and focused his dark pupils on "the lotus of his life" only to… look away?

 _'I wonder why he's not going over there. Maybe that's not her,'_ Tenten somewhat assumed looking back and forth between Lee and Sakura, making sure her eyes were not deceiving her. She didn't know any other pink haired girl in the village, so it must have been her. There have been times where Lee would attempt to ignore Sakura's presence, for the sake of being polite to others he was talking to, but you could see his lack of focus in his expression. _'But he doesn't even look like he wants to go over there!'_ She grabbed some money out of her purse, while in deep thought, and dropped it on the table.

"Hey Lee," Tenten put her wallet back in her bag, "Are you feeling okay?"

"I am over Sakura, if that is what you want to know." Her teammate stated.

Tenten's eyes widened, ' _It's like he read my mind!_ ' She wasn't going to ask him about his not-so-secret admirer directly, but rather ease into it, allowing him to bring up the topic himself. Instead, he jumped straight to the point, because of her. What gave her curiosity away?

Lee watched Tenten look at the screaming voice across the restaurant. He knew that voice _anywhere_ , especially when it was so loud and irritated. Sakura was beautiful and strong, no denying that, but physical characteristics can only go so far for the ninja. She never gave him the time of day for him to learn more about her personality, what was on the inside. After several years, the green beast's crush for the medical ninja faded away, and to his surprise, he felt relieved. One sided love can be difficult at times.

Now his teammate was looking at him and Sakura, wondering why his behavior around her was for some unknown reason calm, and not love crazy with failed attempts of acting "cool like Kakashi".

"I wasn't going to bring it up so suddenly," Tenten took a sip of her water, "but since you did…really? You don't have a crush on her anymore?" Lee shook his head, looking quite sure of himself. He had been over the kunoichi for some time now, not knowing precisely when it happened. Maybe it was when he overheard her proclaiming her love about Sasuke to Ino, or when she bluntly declined his offer once again to go on a date.

Or maybe it was later that day, when Tenten told him that one day he would be ten times as special to a girl one day, as Sasuke is to Sakura.

"Nope. She shows no interest in me, so I have moved on." A smirk formed on his lips, "But if you know of anyone, Tenten, tell me. Because I am single and ready to tingle!" He proclaimed with a thumbs up, causing his teammate to burst into a fit of giggles. She was holding her stomach, laughing out loud at Lee's mistake in his choice of words. Nonetheless, it made him happy to see his friend filled with happiness at the moment. Although he was confused, he went along with the kunoichi's laughter, and began to chuckle himself, wondering what he said to cause her to be so tickled. When the jonin seen that her teammate was slightly confused, she lowered her laugh to a snicker, before explaining what made her so amused.

Tenten flicked a tear away from her eye, "I think you mean _mingle_ , Lee. And you never cease to surprise me with your..."the kunoichi waved her hands in front of her, trying to describe his silliness, "…words. I don't think I've laughed that hard in a while."

With a sigh, Tenten slid out of the booth, signaling she was ready to go. Lee followed her right after, sliding out of the booth and brushing away any remains of food that may have gotten on his clothes. They exited the restaurant, walking down the dirt road in a comfortable silence. The two came to a halt when they reached the end of the road that split into two directions. A road that separates them, living on opposite sides of each other.

"Thank you for dinner, Tenten! Next time, I will have to pay for the both of us." Lee scratched the back of his head, smiling thankfully. The jonin waved her hand down, "Ah, don't mention it. I did say it was my treat, didn't I?" The green beast nodded with understanding, still planning to return the favor later on.

Usually the two would say their salutations and part ways, before heading to their own homes, but something felt off. As if there were more to say or more to do. It made the atmosphere awkward all of a sudden.

"Uh, so um…" Lee fumbled with his words as he twiddle his fingers, beginning to feel slightly uncomfortable.

"Y-yeah…" Tenten stuttered, agreeing with whatever Lee tried to say. She clasped her hands behind her back, waiting for what was going to happen next.

Neither ninja was making eye contact, as if the ground or the trees were more interesting than their conversation. When their eyes found each other again, the kunoichi began to conclude their somewhat of a discussion. "So Monday, right?" She ensured, raising both of her eyebrows. The brunette wanted to get away quickly, not liking the feeling she got in that short amount of silence. Her teammate wasn't too fond of it either, shaking it off quickly. He noticed he was still playing with his fingers, and dropped them immediately, "Of course! See you then, Tenten!" Lee confirmed, before both of them turned on their heel to go their separate ways.

 _'What the hell was that?'_ The female ninja questioned herself, putting both hands to her cheeks. Her face felt hot, which was unusual to her. _'Why were things so weird with Lee? And why is my face so warm?'_ The confused voice in the jonin's head eventually stopped questioning, letting it go. Perhaps she was just tired, for nothing like that would never happen if she was fully energized.

Right?

The next day, Sunday, was filled with chores and errands. Going to the grocery store, doing laundry, cleaning the house, and other things of that nature. It felt nice having time to herself, time to think about her strengths and how to improve her weaknesses. The day's thoughts were surrounded around her and it raised her spirits a bit. All the work tired her out, knowing tonight was the night she was going to finally sleep for more than two hours.

Unfortunately, her mind had other plans.

It was 1:30 a.m., and Tenten was lying in her bed more awake than ever. She had spent hours trying to fall asleep, but thoughts about anything and everything would not allow it. The kunoichi gave up, getting out of her bed to make some tea.

She grabbed a blanket, wrapping it around her before she walked downstairs to her unnecessarily large kitchen. Her parents, during the time they were alive, rarely cooked meals, making the kitchen's appearance seem clean while a little dull. Now the orphan was using it more and more as time went on, learning how to make simple meals from Kurenai, her being a mother and all. Nowadays, she tried to make the most out of her resources.

She filled her glass teapot with water, and set it on the stove to heat up. As her tea heated up, she sat at her table where her backpack sat. Unzipping it, she pulled out a single scroll along with some ink and a paintbrush.

It was quite difficult for the female ninja to write summons on such a tiny scroll, especially with her sloppy handwriting. There were times that her large handwriting caused her to run out of room, making her to start all over again.

Tenten picked up her paintbrush, dipping it into some black ink before drawing summons slowly into the scroll.

 _'Almost…done…'_ She leaned over, concentrating heavily on the scroll. The brunette wrote smaller, making sure every summon fit on the scroll. When she wrote the last symbol, she dropped her paintbrush and clasped her hands together excitedly.

"Yes! I finally got another one done!" Tenten celebrated, drying the wet ink with her cool breath. The kunoichi was going to attempt creating another scroll, but was interrupted by the whistling of her teapot. She turned off her stove and began pouring hot tea in a cup.

Knowing she wouldn't be sleeping anytime soon, even after her cup of tea, she headed outside to take a walk. It was pretty peaceful at night, at least in her area of town, not living near any restaurants, clubs, or bars.

The jonin heard a loud repeating thump in the distance, pecking at her curiosity. As she approached closer to the sound, possibilities popped in her head if what could be causing the noise. Maybe she should have brought a kunai, just in case it was an enemy. Then again, using taijutsu wouldn't be completely useless, the kunoichi was one of the best female taijutsu fighters in the village.

When the kunoichi was closer, she heard someone panting heavily, counting softly in between. She had forgotten there was a smaller training ground closer to where her and Lee live, than where they actually train. Her mind went at ease as she automatically knew who it was. I mean, who else would train this late at night?

"452…453…454…" Lee was punching a wooden post over and over, causing the loud thump she was hearing. Tenten had no problem with Lee doing whatever crazy exercises he had in mind, as long as she was not involved, but hated the injuries that came from it. Him punching a wooden post was a rather popular training exercise for the green beast, and since he was already past four hundred, the jonin knew that his hands were already bleeding, becoming even more bruised with every punch.

"Lee?" Tenten questioned, "Don't you think it's a little too late to get your hands all bloody?" She sat down on a log on the ground, sipping her tea.

Her teammate turned his head briefly, locating the source of the voice before focusing back on punching the dented wooden post.

"Hello, Tenten…455…Could you not sleep either? 456…"

"Well, I'm never asleep at this time of night. The insomnia's no joke. But Lee, you couldn't have done pushups or something instead of an exercise that can damage you?"

"Do not worry Tenten," Lee stopped his punching to calm Tenten's nerves. "I will just have Sakura or Ino heal me later. And then I will be all ready to go again!"

He knew that Tenten constantly worried about him badly damaging his body from his harsh training, ever since the Chunin exams. However, Lee found her distressing pointless, he was stronger now, smarter too. Nonetheless, he was still thankful for her thoughtfulness, helping him when he _wasn't_ smart enough to stop his training at the right time.

Tenten continued watching Lee, who was now counting at around six hundred, as she finished the last of her tea.

' _He's been working so hard since the academy, and look at him now. I can't believe I used to put him down._ ' Tenten's thoughts flashbacked to the time Neji defeated Lee once again in a spar. She said things like, "You'll never beat Neji!" and "Just give up already," She never really meant her words at the time, taking out her frustration of her own struggles out on Lee. It began to make the female ninja feel guilty, ' _I'm supposed to be his teammate. But what kind of teammate am I if I don't encourage him?_ '

"I'm sorry." Tenten apologized softly, pausing Lee in place.

"Did you say something, Tenten?" He turned around, away from the wooden post so he could face Tenten.

"I said…I-I'm sorry." She tilted her head down remorsefully.

"For what, Tenten? I do not recall you doing anything wrong," The green beast scratched his head, thinking of any mistakes Tenten may have made to be a scourge to his life. "Unless you are talking about when you cut me with your kunai on Saturday. I already said all is forgiven, it was an accident after all."

He was completely oblivious to what the kunoichi was talking about, but could you blame him? She was apologizing for a minor event that happened more than two years ago.

"No. When we were genin and I said that you'll never beat Neji. " She lifted her head to see her teammate even more confused than before. Maybe she should explain more? "Y-you were sparring with Neji, and lost and I…you really don't remember?" Tenten sighed, feeling a little embarrassed. "Well, I guess it _was_ a long time ago. Just forget it. It was silly."

Lee began chuckling, switching the confusion onto Tenten, "I do not remember what you are talking about, but all is still forgiven, Tenten. It is people's negative words that push me forward! That, along with you, Neji, and Gai sensei's hard work and guidance."

The kunoichi raised an eyebrow, "Me? I helped you _too_?" She was surprised when she heard her teammate's words. The jonin never knew that she inspired her teammate, just as he did her. It made her smile, never thinking _her_ hard work could help people like Lee in such a way.

Lee nodded, walking toward the female ninja. "How could it not?" He thought she knew this already, "Watching you in action with all your weapons, not to mention your great skill in taijutsu, encourages me to train even harder!" Tenten blushed, her teammate always complemented her well.

The green beast sat down on the log next to her, looking her straight in her eyes. His physical directness caused Tenten to be a bit nervous, wondering why his look of determination was needed at this moment. "You are also nice, smart, understanding, and-"

"Geez, Lee. You sure know how to give a compliment or two," The brunette giggled, "You're pretty great, too. You have helped me way more than you can imagine." The kunoichi shot Lee a smile, before standing up from the log, grabbing her empty mug. She was beginning to feel a flutter of sleepiness, and thought she might give resting another try.

"Well, I'm going to head home. Maybe I can get about three hours of sleep in." Tenten began strolling towards the direction of her home, wrapping her blanket further around herself as a shield to the cool summer air.

"Tenten," Lee called out to her, his tone of voice now a little worried. The kunoichi turned to the side, just enough to get a good view of her teammate. She caught a view of him walking towards her slowly, holding his hands up in front of him. They were covered in blood, grime, and looked badly bruised, just as she expected.

"I can not feel my hands. Do you mind bandaging me up until tomorrow?" He smiled awkwardly.

"Sure, Lee…but I don't have any with me, they're at my house." Tenten responded slowly, getting a better look at his now red and violet hands.

"That is fine." Lee nodded as he began following behind Tenten to her home. The green beast smirked to himself, feeling lucky to have such a caring teammate.

 **There's chapter two! Sorry the ending was a bit rushed, I was struggling with it. Like I said before, school's got me a little busy, but chapter three will come in due time!**

 **As always,**

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**


	3. Favors

**Hi guys, I'm back! Sorry it took me awhile. I changed my name to Jokerdee in case any of you were confused (but I doubt it). Anyway, now to the real reason why you're here! Hope you enjoy it.**

 **I do not own Naruto.**

 _Through it All_

 _Chapter 3: Favors_

Tenten rose from her bed quickly with a gasp. Her face was glistening with sweat and her breath was fast and heavy. It must have been another bad dream, concluded from her current physical state. The pounding in her head from her sudden movements were attempting to be soothed by her hands.

Crashing of metal against the ground rang in her ears, alarming her ninja instincts. She hopped out of her bed, gripping a kunai in her hands from off of her dresser, a precaution she always felt was necessary, before sneaking downstairs. As she tiptoed with her back compressed against the wall, her head tilted around the corner, peeking for the intruder. Her line of vision caught sight of a pair of feet that initiated her to plan her attack. With the advantage of quick thinking, the jonin made her move seconds after, coming from behind the unknown person. Swiftly, she pressed the kunai to the intruder's throat, leaning her head towards their ear.

"Who do you think you are-" Tenten bit her tongue, examining who she thought was a burglar. The color of the man's clothing seemed rather familiar, not to mention his jet black hair fixed in a bowl cut.

Wait.

No, this wasn't an intruder, it was just an idiot who somehow mysteriously got into her house.

"Lee?"

The brunette spun her head to her living room, finding a folded blanket and pillow set on top of her sofa. Finally, it clicked in her head, _'That's right. He spent the night.'_ The jonin had overlooked the fact that her teammate ended up on her couch last night. Bandaging him up couldn't stop his discomfort, so pain killers were the way to go. Unfortunately, they make you drowsy almost immediately, causing a passed out Lee not even ten minutes later.

Lee was holding both his hands up, showing his innocence. Tenten removed the kunai from his neck, relaxing her posture, leaning an elbow on her counter with a sigh. Upon attempting to calm herself, she jumped, examining her lower arm. She felt something wet, and partially sticky, covering her elbow that immediately made her shudder with disgust. Her next action was to question Lee, although a part of her felt that she wouldn't even want to know the answer. With her mouth open to begin talking, not a noise came out, her heart nearly stopping out of astonishment.

"Lee, my kitchen! What did you- How did you... I thought you would've went home by now." The brunette held her chest in shock, never seeing her kitchen in such chaos. Pots and pans were scattered across the floor, which made sense, explaining the ruckus she heard from her bedroom. Not only that, but food was splattered all over the place, from her oven to her fridge. She was confident that had it not been for her teammate's clumsiness, whatever Lee was doing would have turned out better. His ungainly manner almost always seemed to kick in at the wrong times, deteriorating bad moods or situations, and it seemed that her kitchen was the latest victim of it.

"I _did_ go home. After I got dressed, I decided to come back and make you breakfast, to thank you for letting me stay in your home last night. " He noticed Tenten wide-eyed at the condition of her kitchen, the look of shock on her face was as if she had just seen a ghost. "Oh yeah, it did get a little messy in the process." He chuckled slightly at his last comment, rubbing the back of his neck. Lee realized that Tenten had been doing many favors for him lately, without wanting anything in return. While he was appreciative for her generosity, he found repaying her necessary. After prying through his teammate's fridge for some ingredients, he decided to make one of his favorites for breakfast, as a way to show gratitude for his friend.

"A _little_? Do you not see…" Just as Tenten felt an angry rant rising from within her, the sight of the meal Lee cooked for her made her rethink her words. She had to admit, it looked delicious, and it smelled even better. It's not as if he intended to destroy her kitchen, in fact, he just wanted to do something nice. How could she blame him for trying?

"Thanks, Lee. The food looks great, really. But next time, you should let me help you, so we can avoid the mess." A huge grin corrupted the green beast's face at Tenten's approval, its contagious nature bringing a smile to her face, as well. How he got away with things like this, she didn't know, no one else could. Perhaps she just had a soft spot for the ninja.

Darn that infectious, benevolent smile.

Tenten walked around Lee, to get access to the steaming meal that was awaiting her, only to be block by him. She tried once again, believing it was just a coincidence of misdirection, with failure. Frustration filled her expression, her many attempts to pass by her teammate becoming troublesome. "Come on, Lee! Cut it out!" With her stomach weak from the absence of food, why was now, of all moments, the time for him to play games?

Lee crossed his arms, shaking his head, "I am sorry, Tenten. But we cannot eat just yet. We are waiting on one more guest!"

"Ugh, are you kidding me? Who?"

"Gai sensei!"

"Sensei? He usually meets us at the training grounds."

"Gai sensei loves my cooking! Plus he-"

A ring at the door interrupted the duo's conversation, also signaling that their other guest had arrived. The brunette glared at Lee, anticipating the moment he left to open the door, her mind firmly set on devouring the food. Unfortunately, the green beast wasn't buying it, shaking his head once more before nodding towards the door. Narrowing her eyes, a brief staring contest went down between the two, letting each other show who's boss, in this situation at least. The spirit of not giving up was placed strongly in these two, becoming seemingly stubborn when it wasn't essential. Luckily, Tenten had a short limit of her battles with Lee, when it was over something ridiculous, that is. With the sound of the doorbell ringing repetitively, the kunoichi growled, before giving in to open the door for her sensei. She guessed she could be patient for a couple more minutes.

"GOOD MORNING! HOW ARE MY STUDENTS?" Tenten jumped back as her sensei zoomed past her to get into her house, wheeling himself straight to the kitchen before screeching to a stop. Shutting the door, it would've seemed as if there was a party going on in her kitchen, hearing all the noise the two guys were creating. The fact that those two could be optimistic about nearly everything, regardless of how bad or small the topic is, never failed to confuse her. But _somebody_ has to look at the bright side of things, if not, then no one else would.

They moved the conversation to the table, which seemed to already be prepared, another thing the green beast took the time to do. Subsequent to assembling themselves at the table, new knowledge came to Tenten about her teammate, as she tasted the food he prepared. To her surprise, it was actually good. It's not as if she expected it to taste terrible, but she also never expected him to have such a great hand in it. She should have known better than to underestimate Lee by now.

Three empty plates were carried back to the kitchen, thrown in the sink and soon forgotten. "That hit the spot," Their sensei patted his stomach, "But I expect no less from a student of mine!" The voiced comment made the kunoichi scoff, glaring at him from the corner of her eye, ' _Yeah, as if he gives us cooking lessons…'_

She watched the two guys head for the door, pumped for another beautiful day of youth ahead of them. "I'll race you to the training grounds, Lee. You up for the challenge?" He hit the side of his wheelchair, "This baby can hit speeds unimaginable!" What seemed like a little challenge then turned into the biggest race of their lives. Yells of competition filled her house.

"HEY!"

Her voice seemed to echo throughout the whole house, capturing the attention of the two men. They turned their head, attentive to the kunoichi of the team. "How about you _race_ back to the kitchen and clean up that mess?" Looking back at the kitchen, a smirk appeared on both of their faces, rivalry gleaming in their eyes as the two guys faced each other.

"Not literally!" She clarified, holding up both hands in front of them. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get dressed. And this kitchen better be _spotless_ when I get back." The brunette walked off with a puff, feeling as though she just finished speaking to two children. Nonetheless, the guys followed Tenten's orders, leaving the kitchen in a better condition than expected. Soon enough, the three left, heading out for another day to train.

…

The sun had reached its peak a couple hours ago, concluding the team's training. Which was a relief to Tenten, considering she intended on relaxing in the comfort of her home for the rest of the day. It felt great to look forward to what would be a peaceful afternoon. It being consumed by watching movies, something that never caught her interest before, and her favorite activity, polishing her precious weapons. She began to pack her belongings, rolling up each and every scroll used.

"TENTEN!"

The lurid voice made the brunette made her jump out of her own skin, surprised that someone broke Gai's record for the loudest scream. Turning her head to the source of the shout brought a smirk to her face. She rolled her eyes, of course, it was the one and only, Ino. So much for those afternoon plans. "Tenten! Hey, Tenten!" Ino called out to her once more, waving from far off. Going on a mission usually leads to a rant upon her return, not only about her complaints, but about all the chatter throughout the village.

Her alacrity pushed her towards Tenten rapidly, coming to a sudden stop at the last moment. In between heavy breaths, she made her greeting to those who were less imperative at the moment, "Hi Lee, Sensei. Tenten! Just the girl I wanted to see." The jonin resumed packing her possessions as if she were paying her no attention, "What is it this time?"

A frown corrupted Ino's face at her friend's response, not taking a liking to her mumbling, sullen tone. "Hey, now why do you seem so bothered? You should be excited! Without me, you would know _nothing_."

Tenten raised a brow at Ino, "Forgive me, almighty Ino. I am eternally grateful for your shared knowledge." A growl escaped Ino, hating her sarcasm even more than her rude tone. Shaking it off, she grabbed Tenten's arm. "That's more like it. Now, come on!" With a squeak, Ino yanked the brunette, dragging her away.

"Wait! I have to get my-"

"COME ON!"

Lee and Gai stood stunned, and partially frightened, at the brutality of Ino. It seemed to be a common trait in nearly all the Leaf Village kunoichi, yet still not anything the two guys could ever become accustomed to. With Tenten being hauled off without caution, the brunette's belongings were left, abandoned. Picking up the bag triggered an exhalation from the green beast, knowing it will be a struggle to find his teammate later, since Ino may possibly take her wherever the wind blows them.

But what if he couldn't find them later?

An inch of worry activated his thoughts. Ino came and went so fast, what if something went wrong? Maybe there was a last minute mission they had to attend to? But if there was a mission, why wouldn't Ino just tell him? He unknowingly focused on the ground, deep in his own head. It didn't take long for Gai to notice, his student wasn't usually so quiet.

"Is there something wrong, Lee?" His sensei snapped him out of his thoughts, bringing him back to reality. "Oh! Um, well, it is just that…where do you think those two went so suddenly? Do you think something is wrong?"

Gai cackled out loud at his student's inquisitiveness. Sure, he had great knowledge when it came to being a shinobi, however, he was quite oblivious when it came to certain social skills. It was as if he was a small child, or even Sai, attempting to understand why people do the things they do.

"There's no need to worry, Lee. You know how girls are nowadays…" Trailing off, Gai assumed his pupil could finish the rest. "No, sensei," the green beast denied, "I do not _know._ What is it they are doing?"

' _Is he serious?'_ Gai knew Lee wasn't the best with girls, but the least he could do was figure _that_ out. "Well, Lee, they talk about different things, such as… uh, well…" Okay, so perhaps, Gai was not so educated about the topic, himself. There has been rare occasions where he would take the time out of his busy schedule to go a little date, but it just reminded him how complicated women could be at times. Tenten was no help in this situation either, being more focused on becoming a strong ninja rather than boys, but he wasn't complaining.

"They talk about things like…Sasuke, er, boys! Love, they talk about love!" After many corrections, Gai felt confident in his response. He could recall Sakura and Ino becoming excited over some romance movie they had just seen. Or maybe that was Kakashi?

"Love," Lee pondered on the word, a hand stroking his chin, "So, does that mean Tenten is in love?" With one word, Lee jumped to conclusions, and not a good one. How could his teammate, his best friend, be in love and not inform him? The thought of the kunoichi with someone else was upsetting him more than he expected it to. It was a giant blow to the heart.

"Now, slow down there, Lee," Gai reassured his student, "I'm sure if Tenten was in love, we would know. Something as important would not be kept from us." His words did the trick, releasing a small sigh from the green beast. However, his tiny huff did not go unnoticed by his sensei, watching Lee slightly clutch his chest in relief at the response. Gai furrowed his eyebrows in suspicion, jumping to conclusions of his own.

"Is everything alright, Lee? With you and Tenten?" His sensei waited, giving Lee a chance to speak his mind. The questions only made Lee blush, his thoughts dusting his cheeks red. "Yes, but…well, I think I could really use your advice right now, sensei." It was then a giant grin corrupted Gai's face. He felt like the happiest sensei in the world every time he was asked for advice. To be asked about something other than ninja skills, made him feel all the better. He could only hope that whatever he was asked he could answer without struggle. This had never been a problem before, but he had a feeling that now could be the first.

…

"I just don't get it!"

Tenten groaned out of frustration, "You don't get _what_ , Ino?" The two kunoichi were strolling with no destination, gossiping to each other. Or, rather, Ino was blathering away to Tenten. The brunette didn't mind hearing the talk of the village, she, herself became interested at times, but with that pleasure came a price. Along with it came Ino's judgement, frequently overlooking that not everyone thinks and acts like her.

"I see Sakura smooch on Naruto behind closed doors, and then just act like she hates him in public! Is that not weird to you?" The blonde questioned Tenten, wishing she would side with her on this one. Ino would declare her feelings to the entire village, if she was Sakura. It had already been done with current boyfriend, Sai. Having no shame in love was just something she always felt.

"Well, I don't know," Tenten shrugged, "I mean, it's not unusual to keep your relationship from others. Maybe they just want to keep _theirs_ a secret?" She didn't know what the couple's intentions were, but one thing was for sure, this relationship was NOT a secret anymore, especially with Konoha's finest gossiper knowing. However, for right now, she was just trying to comprehend it all. Ino wasn't the type to give out false information. "But why? We could have gone on so many double dates by now! Her with Naruto, and me with my…perfect man." With clasped hands to her cheek, she released a sigh, displaying her happiness towards the love of her life.

"And why exactly are you telling me this? Why don't you tell her, instead of complaining about her love life behind her back?"

"Are you kidding me? I can't talk to her _just_ to complain about her life. That would be very annoying of me, you know."

"You sure have no shame in doing it to me."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Ino waved her hand, brushing off the matter. "Speaking of the perfect man, when are you going to get yours, Ten?" A dango shop came into sight, Ino's craving causing her to lead the way directly to it. As they entered the shop, they stood in the back of a short line, awaiting their turn to order.

"Can we please not talk about this, again?" Tenten let out a lengthy groan, face palming herself. She knew this topic was coming, of course, it came up nearly every time the two talked. Why couldn't she just leave things in her life be?

Ino shook her head, "No, we need to! The only guys you hang out with are Lee and Gai sensei. And that's pretty sad. I could understand if Lee was cute, but with that bowl cut and green jumpsuit and-"

"Hey! There is nothing wrong with Lee! He just...has his own style." Tenten defended her teammate as she bluntly pointed a finger at Ino. The blonde flinched at her directness, widened eyes filled with surprise. She didn't think that it was such a touchy subject for the kunoichi. Nonetheless, her expression soon softened into a smirk with a retort ready, as usual, "More like his sensei's style. Oh! Look at him!"

Ino tilted her head towards the cashier assisting customers in the line they were in, pointing with her eyes. Tenten glanced at the young guy, raising an eyebrow back at her friend. "What about him?" She caught a second glimpse, and Tenten felt nothing, just as before. He just looked like your average cashier. "Are you kidding me? He is _so_ your type. Watch…" She took a confident step forward, something she's never been without, to the front of the line, it being her turn to order. The guy behind the counter flashed a greeting smile, "Hello! What would you-"

"Are you single?" Her confidence and determination combined, which was a dangerous thing, really. With both hands grasping the counter and a strong-minded look in her eyes, it was as if she could conquer the world. The only thing it accomplished was puzzling a cashier. "I, ah, well…yes?" Fortunately, it wasn't long before he understood the situation, and he had no problems with it. He wouldn't mind going on a date with the blonde, or the cute one behind her. Ah, hell, he'd like to date them at the same time! He hurriedly cleared his throat, raising his morale, before rephrasing his response.

"Yes, yes! I am single. Why, are you interested?" He leaned an elbow in the counter, resting his chin in an open hand.

"It's actually for my friend, you see," She continued, pausing for a second to wink at Tenten, giving the signal of her plan going well. Tenten sighed frustratingly, walking away to the book stand nearby. She knew there was no point in stopping Ino when it came to stuff like this, it was just a dream of hers to play matchmaker.

"She's just _so_ lonely, ya know? I think she just needs a nice, strong man that can protect her. Would you mind taking her on a date? Just one?" The blonde batted her long lashes, trying to attract him to her hypnotizing baby blues. Sure enough, it worked, and the young guy was left stuttering. "Y-yeah, just give me her…uh, address and I c-can pick her up tomorrow night at 6." He scratched the back of his neck as Ino jumped for joy. Boys were almost too easy when it came to her.

 _'Finally, Tenten will know what it feels like to go on a date! Then when she gets married, she'll be thanking me for my efforts for years to come.'_ She grinned wildly, pulling a small card out of her small satchel along with a pen. She scribbled her address, rather than Tenten's, on it, and handed it to the guy.

"Here, don't be late. Now for my dango order…"

…

Speedily, Lee traveled down the dirt road, his teammate's bag hanging loosely around his shoulder. A new sense of confidence was found for him; not in his physical abilities, no, he had more than enough of that. But, in something else. Thanks to his sensei, it was just what he needed to complete an important, personal mission of his. A mission that could change the rest of his life all started with one thing: to find Tenten.

 **The last chapter should be out soon, with Christmas break coming up. So you guys won't have to wait so long again.**

 **As always,**

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**


	4. All Along

**_Hey, guys. It's been a long time. I've been going through some things in the past few months, but I really wanted to finish this story. So here it is. I hope you enjoy._**

 ** _I do not own Naruto._**

 _Chapter 4: All Along_

"You did what?"

The cat was out of the bag. The plan, which seemed ridiculous, to get Tenten a man was in session. A date appeared to be the best route for the brunette, according to Ino, especially a surprise date. It's not like if she left it up to Tenten, she would find one for herself, anyway.

"I got you a date! Isn't this great? Go ahead, thank me." Ino munched away happily on the last her dango, pulling out her key to unlock the door to her house. With a click, the front door opened and the blond rushed straight to her bedroom, with a speechless kunoichi following behind. Ino led the way to her room, pushing open the door and settling down.

"Your date is tomorrow at nine. I don't really know the guy's name, so you'll just have to play it off." Ino faced Tenten, observing her dumbstruck expression, "Close your mouth, Ten," She patted the brunette's cheek, "You'll catch flies." Tenten replied with a growl, a giggle leaving Ino's lips.

"Now, knowing you, I doubt you have any decent attire for a date. Luckily, you have a great friend who happens to have plenty of cute attire-"

"And butts into others' lives…"

" _And_ will let you borrow an outfit or two. But after that you have to buy more clothes! I'm telling you, this is a great idea, Tenten. Stop being such a grouch."

Tenten crossed her arms, "Ugh! You've really done it this time, Ino! You don't see me butting in your life, telling you how to date Sai! It's like you don't even care how I feel about these things."

Ino stared at Tenten, deep in thought. The brunette secretly hoped she, at last, got it through her thick skull after telling her the same thing many times.

"You know what…" Ino's tone was low, her eyes wide in realization, "Maybe we should invite Kurenai sensei over!"

Of course she understood what her friend was saying, she's heard the same stupid speech about a million times. But she felt sorry for her, and hated the thought of her friend being alone.

"Her makeup always looks great! I wonder if she'll let me borrow any of it…" The blond admired.

There was nothing wrong with makeup, no, Tenten even wore some herself, at times. Not to mention, Ino looked absolutely flawless when she did her own. But when the blond did the favor of giving Tenten a makeover, it was the first time she had ever been scared of her own reflection.

"Don't you dare lay a hand on my face!" Tenten stomped out the house with her face boiling red with rage.

Ino ran to the front door, "Be back here tomorrow at six! We have a lot of work to do!"

…..

A frantic search had now become troublesome. Not that Lee was giving up, but annoyance had begun to set in. The village was not small, neither was the number of places Ino and Tenten could be, so it made sense that the hunt for them was taking up so much time. Sure, he could just wait outside of his teammate's house, but such news could not be delayed. He searched the village thoroughly for two hours, talking to multiple people with two buns on top of their head, which was much more than he expected. All his efforts leading him to a bench outside of some dango shop.

There had to be an easier way for him to find Tenten, all his methods were useless.

"Something up, Lee?" He lifted his head to the voice, leaving him practically tongue-tied. His search ended there, he couldn't find her, but, she found him. Tenten wasn't actually looking for him, the decision to talk to him came to her when he was looking down, and from the fact that she needed to rant.

"Tenten, I have- you look for! I mean I've been looking you, I…Here is your bag." He sighed, handing his teammate her belongings. She signaled him a thanks, although confused by his jumble of words. Now was the time. His next few words were either going to change his life or just break his heart.

He looked her straight in the eyes, "Tenten, I-"

"Can you believe that Ino set me up on a date?"

Lee's mouth dropped. He was speechless, then again, it's not as if he was expected to talk at the moment, anyway.

"I can't believe her! Always nosey when it comes to others' lives…actually no, just mostly _my_ life! Who is she to tell me who I should date?" Rock Lee toned out the ramblings from his teammate. He couldn't believe it. This was worse than rejection, this was rejection _before_ rejection. It was as if he wasn't even given the opportunity to have a horse in the race. He still had to try. He couldn't give up just yet.

"What do you think?" Hands placed on her hips, she gave Lee permission to speak his opinion.

"Let me take you on a date!"

The brunette scratched her head, "Huh? I don't understand."

"Tenten, let me be your date," He went for his second attempt, "I have been wanting to tell you something…"  
"You know what?" It was as if a light bulb appeared over Tenten's head, "That could work!"

"Really?" Lee was surprised. He hadn't even officially asked her out yet, and she had already said yes. Maybe his years of asking out Sakura made him assume it would be just as hard with any other girl.

A grin filled her whole face. Her mood had completely flipped. "Yeah! You could wear a disguise, pretend you're my date, then _boom_! I'm home free."

A disguise? Something wasn't right.

"Tenten, I am serious! I would really like to-"

"Me too, Lee! Oh, this is great. Thank you so much." The kunoichi wrapped her arms around her teammate. Lee sighed, so it wasn't an actual date. But at least he made her happy, right?

"Well," Tenten slung her bag over her shoulder, "I should go. See you tomorrow, _date!_ " She began on her way, leaving Lee with little information of what to do.

Lee yelled after her, "Tenten? How am I supposed to know what to wear? I do not know what this guy looks like!"

"Hey, don't worry about it! We'll just improvise. Just make sure your disguise is _really_ good, okay?" The brunette waved before running back home.

Lee rubbed his eyes. What just happened? Somehow his plan turned into Tenten's plan. Calling for him to dress up in a costume and pretend to be her date. He needed to find the nearest costume store.

…

"Tenten, if you don't stop moving I will break all of your weapons in half!" It took a while, but Ino finally managed to wrestle Tenten to the ground, holding her in place to put on makeup. Kurenai sat in the corner, amused by it all.

"If you lay one finger on my weapons _or_ my face, I'll break _you_ in half!" Tenten shot back, causing more screams throughout the house. Kurenai sighed, she never really had to deal with things like this when it came to Hinata, she was more of the peaceful type.

"Alright, alright. Break it up, you two," They moved away from each other, giving each other evil glares. "Tenten is a beautiful, young lady. She doesn't need makeup." Kurenai grabbed Tenten's shoulders, leading her to a chair with a mirror right in front of her.

Ino crossed her arms, "Fine. You can do her hair while I pick out her outfit." She stomped out of the room, which was not that dramatic, considering the floor was carpet.

"So, you seem excited for this date." Kurenai stood behind Tenten's chair, examining the brunette's hair. She scoffed, her eyes rolling upwards at the thought of it. Kurenai searched her head for pins, pulling them out from their usual buns.

The brunette's hair fell loose, falling into silky curls. "You know me, I'm always up for dates I don't want with guys I don't even know."

"So, when's the last time you've been on a date?" Kurenai questioned.

"NEVER! CAUSE SHE'S ALWAYS AROUND LEE!" Ino muffled scream was heard from another room.

Tenten scrunched her face into a scowl, "SHUT IT, I _NOSEY_!"

"Lee, huh? You two do seem rather close." Kurenai stated

Tenten crossed her arms, "Well, we _are_ teammates. We've been through a lot together."

The brunette watched out for Ino, and lowered her voice to a whisper, "And between you and me, he's actually helping me out tonight."

"Oh, really?" Kurenai smirked.

Tenten nodded, "Yeah. See, Lee came up with this great idea. He just straight up said, _Let me take you on a date_."

"That's what he said? He just blurted it out?"

"Yeah, so he's going to show up tonight, and pretend to be my date. He came up with the plan pretty quick, too. I was surprised. But I always make the mistake of underestimating him."

"Mm, hmm…"

"What?" Tenten questioned her sarcastic tone, "What's wrong?"

Kurenai sighed, "Oh, nothing. Lee just came up with _such_ a good plan _so_ fast. And Ino says you guys are _always_ around each other."

Tenten lowered her eyes. She wasn't liking Kurenai's tone. "What are you implying, sensei?"

"I'm not implying anything. After all, you do know Lee better than me. But I know it when I see it."

"You know what?"

Ino walked back in the room, with an outfit in each hand. The two immediately stopped their conversation.

"Okay, pick one." They were supposed to be two dresses, but they looked more like shirts to Tenten.

"Oh, hell no."

…..

Lee waited outside of Ino's house. He wasn't sure when he was even supposed to show up, an important piece of information that Tenten left out of her plan. He put on a brown afro and stuck a fake mustache onto his face. It was the same disguise Gai used when he first built his dojo, and what a good one Lee thought it was, too. With him not wearing his green vest, there was no way anybody could see through his disguise.

He walked up to the front door and knocked on the door. He heard screams follow, which sounded a lot like a panicky Ino. He adjusted the collar on his jumpsuit, gulping as the door swung open.

"I am here to take Tenten on a date." He spat out.

Kurenai tried as hard as she could not to laugh at the man in front of her. His disguise was definitely creative. But she expected it to look less like Lee, instead of Lee with an afro and moustache.

"Well aren't you a sharp, young man." She complimented. Ino stomped up to the front door, "He may be sharp but he's also an hour early! You know how long it takes a girl to get…" Ino gasped at the sight of Tenten's date. "You! What are you doing-"

"Ino, how about you tell Tenten that her date is here?" Kurenai interrupted Ino, staring at her intensely. Ino knew that Kurenai was way smarter than to believe that was actually her date. The stare she was giving her told her she _had_ to play along, as much as she didn't want to.

She sighed, "Fine." She walked away mumbling as Lee explained himself.

"I am sorry if I am too early, I just have big plans for me and Tenten tonight."

Kurenai opened the door wider, "Oh, trust me, it's fine. Come in." She let him in, leading him to a seat in the living room. "I don't think I ever caught your name."

"Oh! My name is Lee…yoko! Leeyoko is my name." Lee stuttered.

Kurenai raised a brow, _'That's the best name he could come up with?'_

"Okay then, _Leeyoko._ I know you will treat Tenten well. I hope you two have a good time." She studied his outfit, seeing that he didn't even bother to change his clothes. "That's an interesting choice of clothing."

"Thank you! It is the latest trend in fashion!"

Kurenai mumbled to herself, "Wasn't exactly a compliment, but okay."

The two were disrupted by the girls arguing as they appeared from out of the hallway. Ino attempted to adjust her friend's skirt, which was stopped by Tenten smacking her hand away.

"Here she is! Tenten without any weapons or buns!" The brunette scoffed, as if she was _actually_ going somewhere without any weapons.

Rather than wearing one of Ino's dresses, or shirts, she wore a skirt. Her hair streamed down to her shoulders, and seemed to be curly, an advantage of wearing it in buns all the time. Regardless of the struggle it took to set it all up, Ino was proud of how Tenten turned out.

"Look, it's Leeyoko, your date. The one you met yesterday." Kurenai covered her mouth, covering her smirk.

"Oh gosh," Tenten shook her head. Maybe she should have helped him pick an outfit. This was not enough to trick Ino, not at all. She squinted, further examining her date. ' _Is that an afro?'_

It was too late at this point. She _did_ say that they would have to improvise, so that was the plan. "Right. You're Leeyoko…the cashier." She answered in hesitance.

"Really? We're still going along with this? It's Lee in a stupid afro and moustache!" Ino sighed, she wasn't sure if they were pulling some kind of joke or what. But she couldn't take any of it seriously, especially with that silly wig on.

"Tenten," She grabbed her friend's shoulders, "Do what you want, just don't let this outfit go to waste. I want those clothes back tomorrow, by the way."

Tenten had to admit, she felt bad. Even though she never wanted the date, Ino was just trying to help. The blond always had good intentions, regardless of how crazy her plans were.

"Ino, I'm sorry. I just-"

"It's okay, Ten. Have fun on your little date with Lee." Ino smiled.

Tenten wasn't sure why she was still calling it a date. That's the one thing she wanted to avoid all together. Still, she just let it go, Ino didn't have to know what would happen after she walked out of that door. They hugged each other and Tenten and Lee left.

"I just don't know what to do when the real date comes." Ino placed her hands on her hips. She looked over to Kurenai, attempting to use her baby blues to her advantage.

"Oh no," Kurenai shook her head, "That doesn't work on me. _You_ set up the date, _you_ get rid of the date."

...

The two laughed at what just occurred. It all seemed silly now, the kunoichi guessed she should've put more thought into it. Nonetheless, she was glad at how everything turned out. She realized that all of her crazy adventures she's been in mostly came from hanging with Lee. Although, it may had seem terrible at the time, she's grateful for each and every one she's had. It was like anytime with Lee was a good time.

"Now that all that is over, you wanna go get something to eat?" Tenten nudged Lee's shoulder. Lee had no problem with her idea, it was more time he would get to spend with Tenten. But all still didn't feel right. The kunoichi seen his expression suddenly go down.

"Uh, are you okay?" She stopped in her place.

Lee tapped his fingers together, "Tenten, I think you misunderstood me earlier."

"What do you mean? When?"

"Yesterday when I gave you your bag, I was actually trying to ask you out."

Tenten was looking for something, anything to say. Frankly, her mouth just wouldn't allow it. She couldn't think of anything.

"I really like you, Tenten. But I can tell by the way you reacted yesterday, that you are not ready for a relationship. It is okay, though. I will wait."

The brunette sighed, "Lee…you look ridiculous," She reached up and snatched off his moustache, lifting up his wig. "That's better." She smiled at him and grabbed his hand. Lee looked down to see his fingers intertwined with his teammate.

He blushed, feeling all types of emotions at once. "Tenten, I-"

"What if you didn't have to wait? I mean, I think you're pretty sweet, Lee."

"You mean…?"

Tenten nodded, "Yup. I'm all yours." She giggled, stopping when she felt something wet drop on her hand. She felt Lee squeezing her hand a little harder than before now.

He fell on his knees, "OH TENTEN! I DON'T DESERVE A SOMEONE AS GOOD AS YOU!" Lee sobbed, wiping his face with Tenten's hand.

"Get up, Lee! Stop weeping all over my hand!" She pulled him up, trying to wipe his face with the puffy afro in her hand. "Come on, let's go get some curry." They held hands, and headed their way down the road, together.

"By the way, where did you get your little costume from, Lee?"

"From Gai sensei! He is also the one who told me I should just go for it and ask you out. We are so lucky to have a sensei like him, are we not?"

"We sure are, Lee. We sure are."

…..

There was a knock on the door. Ino sighed, opening the door to see what was supposed to be Tenten's real date.

"Look buddy, I'm sorry but you're too late. Tenten is already off with another guy." Ino didn't even give him a chance to talk.

He shrugged, "That's cool. You wanna go out?"

The blond gasped, "No! I have a boyfriend, thank you very much." She folded her arms.

"Whatever…what about her? She's hot." He pointed to Kurenai, sitting in the living room.

"No way! Just get out of here!" Ino slammed the door shut, sitting back down next to Kurenai.

Kurenai smirked, "He would've been _perfect_ for Tenten…"

"Oh hush, sensei."

.

 _Well, there it is folks! Took almost a year but whatever. If I do write more, it will most likely be oneshots. But we'll see what happens._

 _As always,_

 ** _PLEASE REVIEW!_**


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